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Category: genetics – Page 4

A study has introduced a novel bioprocess that transforms CO2 and electricity into single-cell protein (SCP), a sustainable food source rich in essential amino acids.

<div class=””> <div class=””><br />Amino acids are a set of organic compounds used to build proteins. There are about 500 naturally occurring known amino acids, though only 20 appear in the genetic code. Proteins consist of one or more chains of amino acids called polypeptides. The sequence of the amino acid chain causes the polypeptide to fold into a shape that is biologically active. The amino acid sequences of proteins are encoded in the genes. Nine proteinogenic amino acids are called “essential” for humans because they cannot be produced from other compounds by the human body and so must be taken in as food.<br /></div> </div>

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It’s a mission that is less a nostalgic yearning for a prehistoric past than it is a solution to combat climate change, the company’s founders have said. By reintroducing mammoths to Arctic environments, they hope to rejuvenate grasslands and reduce permafrost thaw—a major source of methane emissions.

The potential ripple effects of such an ecological intervention have raised profound ethical and scientific questions but have nonetheless captivated researchers, investors and the public alike.

Colossal Bioscience’s approach to de-extinction is rooted in cutting-edge advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology.

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Genetic engineering is a beacon of hope. It promises eternal life, curing diseases and feeding the growing world population. The possibilities are boundless. The invention is not that old. But their pace is rapid. Life without genetic engineering will no longer exist. We are at the beginning of a new evolution.

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Bolstered by Silicon Valley investment, scientists are making such rapid progress that lab-grown human eggs and sperm could be a reality within a decade, a meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority board heard last week.

In-vitro gametes (IVGs), eggs or sperm that are created in the lab from genetically reprogrammed skin or stem cells, are viewed as the holy grail of fertility research.

The technology promises to remove age barriers to conception and could pave the way for same-sex couples to have biological children together. It also poses unprecedented medical and ethical risks, which the HFEA now believes need to be considered in a proposed overhaul of fertility laws.

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SMC proteins can reverse direction, reshaping DNA

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

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A research team at KAIST has identified the core gene expression networks regulated by key proteins that fundamentally drive phenomena such as cancer development, metastasis, tissue differentiation from stem cells, and neural activation processes. This discovery lays the foundation for developing innovative therapeutic technologies.

A joint research team led by Professors Seyun Kim, Gwangrog Lee, and Won-Ki Cho from the Department of Biological Sciences has uncovered essential mechanisms controlling gene expression in animal cells.

The findings were published on January 7 in the journal Nucleic Acids Research in a paper titled “Single-molecule analysis reveals that IPMK enhances the DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor SRF.”

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The core components of CRISPR-based genome-editing therapies are bacterial proteins called nucleases that can stimulate unwanted immune responses in people, increasing the chances of side effects and making these therapies potentially less effective.

Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Cyrus Biotechnology have now engineered two CRISPR nucleases, Cas9 and Cas12, to mask them from the immune system. The team identified protein sequences on each nuclease that trigger the immune system and used computational modeling to design new versions that evade immune recognition. The engineered enzymes had similar gene-editing efficiency and reduced immune responses compared to standard nucleases in mice.

Appearing today in Nature Communications, the findings could help pave the way for safer, more efficient gene therapies. The study was led by Feng Zhang, a core institute member at the Broad and an Investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT.

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A novel in vivo screening strategy identifies new modifiers of somatic CAG repeat expansion that contribute to age of onset in Huntington’s disease.

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In a groundbreaking shift in our understanding of mutations, researchers have discovered types of DNA

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

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Research into stem cells has paid off as 68-year-old Paul Edmonds remains effectively cured of both HIV and leukemia following treatment that included a breakthrough stem cell transplant in 2019. Now, five years after the treatment, Edmonds continues to live his life free of HIV and leukemia.

This makes Edmonds one of only five people in the world who have achieved full remission of HIV. Further, his 31 years of living with the virus also means he had it the longest out of the five in remission. It’s a striking accomplishment that he has remained in remission for so long and showcases just how effective these kinds of treatments can be.

Stem cell transplants aren’t a new idea, either. What particularly makes this treatment so effective and intriguing, though, is that the transplant donor had a rare genetic mutation called homozygous CCR5 delta 32. This mutation makes people immune to most types of HIV.

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